Stringfellow, 77 had a secret battle with cancer. His publicist, Matt Glass, told the Press Association: “It’s very sad news. He passed away in the early hours of this morning. It was kept very private, he didn’t want to tell. He wanted to keep it a secret.”

His London club on Covent Garden’s Upper St Martins Lane will continue to operate “as normal”, Mr Glass said.

He was born in Sheffield in 1940, the oldest of four boys.

An early odd jobber, he served two weeks in jail in June 1962 for selling stolen carpets.

The eccentric nightclub boss leaves behind third wife former ballet dancer Bella, and four children.

He began working in nightclubs the same year in his hometown and went on to build a dynasty of glitzy venues in the UK, New York and Los Angeles.

In his early years in the 1960s he had legendary acts such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and Fleetwood Mac play at his venues.

After owning a string of clubs in the North he moved his family to London in 1980 where he would open his famed, self titled nightclub in Covent Garden.

With its topless girls and lavish late night entertainment, the Stringfellow brand became a byword for debauchery and sexual kicks.

The mogul said his clubs had hosted A-listers including Prince, Marvin Gaye, Rod Stewart and Tom Jones.

And it was not just celebrities who experienced Stringfellow’s hospitality – Professor Stephen Hawking once joined him for dinner at one of the venues.

Following this success he would go on to open venues in Paris, New York, Miami, Beverly Hills.

Stringfellow married his third wife Bella in 2009 and they welcomed their first child, Rosabella, in August 2013.

In September 2015 the couple welcomed their son Angelo.

He also has a son and daughter, Scott and Karen, from his previous marriages.

Peter also had four grand children Taylor, Jaime, Thomas and Isabelle.

Calum Best said: “RIP Peter Stringfellow , so many amazing memories I have with this man , from when I first came to UK and he took care of me for years in his club to staying with him and his family in Spain.

https://twitter.com/CalumBest/status/1004598835774218240

Frank Bruno said: “A great guy & king of the discos. My thoughts are with his family.”